Ripples
by AdrenaVeris
Summary: It wasn't as if she wanted to die. No, what a scary thought is that! She just didn't have a good enough reason to really live - she's just floating through each boring day. Then the smell of black coffee drifted towards her. "Mind if I sit here?" AU


**A/N: **Ok I know I said I was going to be MIA but! After writing that horrible horrible midterm...*curls up in fetal position***;A;  
**

Er, anyways, another one-shot, jotted down while I was sulking in a corner...basically, this is written to cheer myself up *sweatdrop

No, I haven't forgotten any of the other stories^^; Just like that other one-shot, I just had to write this down before it slipped away from my mind ;) While the other one is mostly in Ritsu's POV… this one is in Mio's. And it's mostly… everyday-life feel?

"Karui" (light)? X3 So no worries, my dark mood did not influence this whatsoever.

Anyways, this is AU. Mio is around 25-27…I don't know, but some years after graduating university. Mostly Mio and Ritsu, but there will be cameos of other characters such as YuiAzu :3

It's just a light-read (even though it's kind long...ugh), so don't think too much about it ;) I have no idea what category to put it though, hmm.

P.S. I love coffee. It keeps me alive. And gave me this plot D:

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on.

* * *

**~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

**Ripples**

**~O~O~O~O~O~O~  
**

The city was bustling with noise, cars slowly driving by the intersections, people hurriedly walking to their destinations. Even the birds in the sky were busy, flying about and chirping.

Heck, even the clouds were drifting by, slowly and slowly forming into various shapes.

But not her. She was completely and utterly bored, yet she did not feel like doing anything either.

Akiyama Mio was sitting in a secluded corner in a coffee shop, staring out of the window. On the outside, she appeared to be watching the streets intently as if thinking about something really important.

But truthfully, there was nothing in her mind at all.

She just wanted to appear this way, so people won't really approach her and bore her even more so with their tedious questions.

Well, it wasn't as if she was busy anyways.

She was a mere salarywoman, simply drinking her black coffee during her break time. She was stressed enough during her working hours – she had to endure her department head's lecherous looks and her colleagues' unfriendly sneers, and her job was so monotonous – every day, she had to do the same thing over and over again, imputing meaningless numbers into the computers etc.

It sounded simple enough, perhaps, but the stress that accompanied it was not worth it. Despite being in the department head's ...favor, she often had to work overtime without a raise.

With her distant demeanor and aloof nature, Mio had no friends to speak of – well, not counting the coffee shop owner Kotobuki Tsumugi. But the affable blond woman, despite being the owner, actually worked as one of the servers at the counter. So, she was usually so busy that she could barely greet Mio at all.

And then there was that weird but friendly Hirasawa Yui who lived at the other end of her apartment complex. Hirasawa-san always greeted her brightly, but Mio, who was not used to such affection from people she did not know, usually just replied politely and didn't really converse with the brunette. Hirasawa-san had a cat named Azusa #2 which, coincidentally, was also the name of her pigtailed roommate slash girlfriend, Nakano Azusa. Nakano-san also worked in the same company as Mio but in a different department, so they didn't really converse. She appeared to be a sensible enough person...why did she live with Hirasawa-san...?

Mio had already wondered about this too many times but, as usual, she lost interest and stopped trying to find an answer. That 'weird couple' will just be something...she'll never figure out. Just like her own mundane life.

Anyways, so when Mio actually did have the time for herself, which was her break time or during the weekends, she had no idea what to do – so she just came to sit here, looking out of the window in hopes of something interesting happening with a pair of bleak eyes.

She was just floating through life, waiting for some sort of spark… or some sort of escape.

No, she wasn't pessimistic or anything. Dying? No, she feared pain of any sort. That was definitely not an option. Yet, when she really thought about it, what reason did she have to keep living? She had no goal, no dream to speak of. No significant other, no friends close enough to tell her otherwise. She wasn't close to her family, so it wouldn't really 'bind her down', and what else was there?

Nothing.

Mio sighed at her own morbid thoughts.

_Here I go again._

She stared at the empty cup in her hands. _Maybe I need more – _

The bitter scent of black coffee drifted into her nostrils, alerting her senses.

"Mind if I sit here? It's full elsewhere."

She raised her eyebrow at the stranger who just sat down in front of her without hearing her reply. The woman had rather jagged sandy-brown hair tied in a ponytail while her side bangs just hung there in front of her ears - a style just like Mio's, except Mio's ponytail was longer and her bangs were way shorter and even.

This stranger was also wearing sunglasses, even though she was inside this shop and that it was quite cloudy today too.

The eccentricity did not just stop there – while everyone around was wearing typical business suits, including Mio, this stranger was simply wearing an open-collared shirt with a black vest clinging to her slim waist, and long black pants.

Now, Mio didn't know much about brands and designers, but she was certain what the woman was wearing was _very_ expensive.

She frowned as she watched the woman dump a lot of coffee cream and sugar into it.

"Why did you order black coffee then, if you just want something sweet?" Mio couldn't help but ask.

The woman didn't even look up. She simply shrugged and continued her task. Mio felt a brief throb of irritation in her normally numb mind.

As if sensing the annoyance in the air, the woman replied... though still in a nonchalant manner, "Just because."

Mio was taken aback. There was no such thing as "just because" in her life. There always had to be a reason – every action she took, even the tiniest, most trivial thing – there had to be some sort of reason. Like she would always leave the lights on in the hallways of her apartment, just so she wouldn't be scared of the dark should she need to go the washroom late at night. Also, she would always set down the coffee cup on the dish with her pinky cushioning it, just so she won't hear that loud, ear-grating sound.

The very sound that the woman in front of her just made, after taking a sip.

Mio's irritation spiked.

The woman took no notice of her; she took out a laptop from a rather shiny briefcase and was quickly absorbed in whatever she was doing.

Mio sighed inwardly and went back to her street-gazing.

But her tranquil little world had already been intruded. She had to endure that clanging sound every few minutes.

Mio rubbed her temples and decided to go back to her office early before she did something out of character.

She did not notice the woman lowering her sunglasses and staring after her.

* * *

"Phew, that was a long line up."

Mio's eyelid twitched.

Just as she had expected, that same sunglasses-woman sat down in front of her, fanning herself with her hands. Her sleeves slid back, revealing a classy-looking watch. Mio stared at her own second-hand one. Oh, the clock hands weren't even moving. Great.

_Count to three. Three packets_. Mio mused inwardly, staring at the woman discreetly as she added coffee cream and sugar to her black coffee as usual.

This was probably their fourth 'meeting' since that day. Other than the woman's random comments before sitting down, or some of Mio's own retorts, the two had not really spoken to each other.

Although, Mio could now endure the clanging sound better, so that she was able to stay longer. After all, there was nothing to do in her office, or at her home either, except flipping through the channels for no reason other than wasting battery.

Still, something about the woman's presence irritated her to no end.

…And she still didn't know her name.

But of course, what was the chance of stubborn Akiyama Mio asking her name? Zilch. And why would she want to know anyways?

There was no apparent reason, therefore, no action.

"Pretty hot today huh?" The woman said, still fanning herself, the sunglasses almost slipping off her nose – but Mio was still unable to see her eyes.

_Argh, you can be talking to me with your eyes closed and I won't even know! This is really getting on my nerves..._

"I guess so. Then why did you still order hot coffee?" Mio growled, trying to keep her voice even. She had ordered ice cappuccino herself, to quench the heat. The sun was blazing through the window, right at the woman – yet she still intended to drink that hot beverage?

Once again, the woman shrugged.

"Just because."

A vein throbbed on Mio's forehead.

Almost childishly, Mio turned to stare out of the window, doing her best to ignore this utterly annoying existence in front of her.

She didn't see the way the woman's lips twitched in amusement.

* * *

"What, no drinks for you today?"

Mio suppressed a groan. She was actually stupid enough to forget her wallet at home this morning, and Tsumugi-san wasn't at the counter today so there was no way she could put it on her tab.

So no caffeine.

And no caffeine equaled cranky Mio.

"Yea, what about it?" _Hmm, I can actually sound angry. Maybe I should use this voice more often. This woman seemed intimidated..._

"Nothing~ just askin'."

The woman tilted her head, grinning, unafraid.

_Never mind. Maybe I should just go back to the office but I haven't had my caffeine yet and I really don't want to stare at the computer during my break time-_

"Here."

Mio blinked, staring at the offered cup of black coffee, its steam swirling into the air enticingly.

"Don't worry, I haven't added anything in yet."

Though wary, Mio's need for caffeine was too great so she reached out to accept it – only to find it backing out of her reach. What the hell?

"Tsk tsk, I didn't say it's free~"

Mio growled at the woman's mischievous grin, which widened at her reaction.

"If I can pay for it I would have bought it _myself_," Mio said through clenched teeth.

"Nah, I'm not asking for money now. You can buy me coffee later. For now, all you need to do is tell me something."

"…_what_."

"Your name of course, Akiyama-san."

"Why… Wait, how'd you-"

"Oh, I overheard the owner calling you that a few times before. But I want to know your name. It feels too distant to just call you that, no? We practically meet here every day, don't we?"

Mio was surprised. Now that she truly thought about it, they did see each other so often that they might have been friends, simply meeting at the coffee shop – except they weren't and they still didn't know each other's names.

_It can't hurt, right?_

"…Mio."

"Akiyama Mio huh," grinning, she handed the coffee cup over. Mio accepted it eagerly, much to the other's amusement.

After taking a sip, after finally revitalizing her brain and soothing her tired soul, Mio stared at the woman expectantly.

"Hmm?"

"Well? What's your name?"

"Ritsu."

"…and your last name?"

Ritsu only smirked. "Buy me coffee some other day and maybe I'll tell you."

Miffed, Mio blocked out all the sounds around her and just concentrated on the coffee. Yet, she could practically feel the glee coming from Ritsu.

_That Ritsu, damn her-_

Well, at least there's an actual name for her to curse now.

* * *

"What, no coffee again? Damn, I was looking forward to the one you owed me. It's been weeks you know."

Mio sighed, rubbing her temples. Truthfully, she accidentally left her wallet back in her office. She did not want to go back there, for she did not want to endure the snickers from her colleagues.

No, it was too embarrassing.

_Maybe I should just go back. Anything's better than this._

Mio braced herself for the teasing she knew was coming. Ever since they knew each other's names, Ritsu had been more…open with her, teasing her until Mio had enough and left.

_But why don't I just leave before Ritsu could even start?_ Mio thought despairingly. _Why don't I just buy her that damn coffee and get it over with?_

Yet, deep down inside, Mio actually found herself enjoying Ritsu's company…_no_, unthinkable. How horrifying. _I do __**not**__ enjoy her company. I'm still here…just because._

The black-haired woman hit herself inwardly. _Great, I'm starting to think like her too._

She looked up to find Ritsu grinning at her, as if she knew about her inner turmoil.

Mio scowled.

Ritsu grinned even more so.

"Now, I'd like to buy you another one…but you wouldn't want to owe me two now, do you?"

Mio agreed inwardly. Outwardly, she only deepened her scowl, "I don't really care."

"Is that so? Well, excuse me~"

Ritsu began her customizing ritual on her black coffee, and drank it deliberately slowly, right in from of her eyes.

Mio saw red.

"So, why do you even come here?"

Taken aback by the random question, Mio tried to tone down her indignant rage. _Yes, why do I even come here, indeed._

"You're not gonna say 'just because' now, are you?" Ritsu pushed her sunglasses, but Mio swore she must have winked at her or something.

Not being able to see someone's eyes really, _really_ frustrated her.

"Excuse me, unlike _you_, I do have a perfectly valid reason," Mio folded her arms and turned her head away.

"Well, may I ask why~?"

"No, you may not."

"Aww, why not? I'll tell you mine~"

Mio shifted her gaze back to Ritsu. She did not expect this strange woman to have a reason for coming here.

"…Fine. Well, um," Mio tried to dig up a reasonable-sounding explanation, "I'm friends with Tsumugi-sa- Tsumugi, that's why I come here instead of other coffee shop." There, that sounded good enough.

Ritsu only grinned.

"You're Mugi's friend too? That's interesting… why would she call you Akiyama-san and you call her Tsumugi-san?"

Mio blinked at how familiar Ritsu called the coffee shop owner. Ritsu tapped her finger on the table, wearing a triumphant smirk. "I, on the other hand, come here because I get free coffee from Mugi. We know each other since high school, Mio~"

Mio opened her mouth angrily, wanting to retort, but she just realized two things:

1. Ritsu got free coffee. So there was no reason Mio should buy her one.

2. Ritsu just called her Mio.

Even though they'd known each other's names, they hadn't actually _said_ the names (not aloud anyways, on Mio's part), so it felt rather weird…

And nice.

Mio hit herself inwardly again.

"Fine fine, you win. Happy now, Ritsu?"

Ritsu gave her a definitely happy smile.

* * *

"Where the hell is she? I actually bought her coffee even though she got hers free anyways," Mio grumbled, glaring at the two steaming cups of coffee in front of her.

She glanced at her (finally replaced) watch, noticing that Ritsu was late by a good ten minutes. Not that she had been counting of course.

She stared out of the window, finding the lively street even more boring than usual. _Is it because haven't looked outside for a long time? Or is it because talking with Ritsu is just much more interesting…?_

Mio hadn't even realized she just admitted that talking to Ritsu was interesting.

And she hadn't even realized she had been letting Ritsu sit at her table even when there were so many other empty spots in the shop.

Denial? No, certainly not.

_Ah, finally, I see her. Wait, who's that man-?_

Ritsu was standing outside, talking to a rather good-looking man who had light-copper eyes. His black hair was short and spiky, and he was dressed just as luxuriously as Ritsu.

Ritsu patted his shoulder frequently, laughing like there was no tomorrow. The man was also grinning, his hand gesturing and emphasizing whatever they were talking about.

Mio felt her heart twinge seeing such a display of familiarity between the two.

_No, why should I? Ritsu's not like me. She's bound to have friends…am I even her friend? I know nothing about her except her name. _

That thought made her strangely depressed.

_Yea, I'm probably nothing to her, just someone to banter with while she drank her coffee. Talking to other people must be much more interesting… is he her boyfriend or something?_

So engrossed in her thoughts, she did not even notice Ritsu waving her hand in front of her glazed eyes.

"Oi~ Mio? Anyone here?"

Mio jolted, and then she glared at Ritsu. The latter scratched her head sheepishly, "Woah, didn't mean to scare you. Er, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Hnnf. It's nothing."

"Come on, what did I do this time? I just got out of my office!"

"Oh really, you _just_ got of your office?" Mio's voice was bitingly cold. She had no idea her own voice could sound like that.

Ritsu frowned, confused. "Yea. Why do you sound like you don't believe me?"

Feeling really uncomfortable by the illogical anger in her heart, Mio stood up hurriedly. _No, I need to calm down and figure this out._

"Hey, where're you going?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now. Oh, and enjoy your coffee," Mio said briskly. She had no idea why she just said that. Feeling guilty, she left the table before any other unreasonable words slipped out.

She didn't see the hurt expression on Ritsu's face.

* * *

_Ritsu hasn't been coming_.

Mio stared at the empty space in front of her, swirling her cup of coffee dejectedly. After pondering about her conflicting thoughts for days, after discarding her sanity to actually go ask Hirasawa-san's opinion, Mio finally reached a conclusion that she was jealous.

Of what, she still didn't know. She was perfectly fine with being 'jealous in general', and she had no desire to... 'fix things', as Hirasawa-san had put it -

_"Ah, Mio-chan! I know what that is! You must be jealous! Ehehehe, this feels like what happened with us, doesn't it, Azunyan? Ah~ good memories~"_

_"N-no it doesn't! Yui, stop making things up!"_

_Azusa#2 yowled loudly as if in disagreement._

_"Aww, don't get embarrassed, Azunyan~ Mio-chan, let me show you how you should go fix things!"_

_"Y-Yui! Where are your hands going-"_

_Mio promptly left the weird couple's residence._

Rubbing her temples, Mio gulped down the remaining coffee. I'll never get those two.

After 'figuring out' that strange anger, she finally gathered enough courage and returned to the coffee shop. She had never been 'jealous' and so she had made sure she was fully in control of herself before going back there.

Except Ritsu hadn't shown up for days.

_She must be mad at me…argh! Why did I say that! So what if she has a boyfriend! It's none of my business!_

Tsumugi-san had helpfully offered her advices – which were all too weird for Mio. Like what did she mean by "just push Ricchan down and she'll forgive you"?

_Why would I push her down? Why would anyone forgive- ugh, I don't get it._

The coffee shop was quieter than usual, in spite of its nosy chatters. No, without Ritsu's playful voice, it was like deafening silence to Mio.

_When have I grown so used to her presence?_

Mio stared at the coffee's murky depth – which was just like herself, wasn't it? So gloomy, so unknown – just like her own fickle heart, did it not?

Yet Ritsu had come along and, just like the coffee cream, had transformed her world.

Little by little, drop by drop, in gradual ripples.

Impulsively, Mio went to purchase another cup of black coffee, and added coffee cream and sugar the way Ritsu did.

The black coffee was now almost milky white. Mio took a sip.

_So dilute. _

Yet she could still taste the bitterness of the coffee beneath all that layers of sugar.

_But sweet._

* * *

Mio would never admit aloud, but it had been more than a week and she missed Ritsu.

A lot.

She had no idea how much she looked forward to those simple banters with that sunglasses-woman.

Truthfully, the stress from work actually diminished from arguing with Ritsu. After all that working, after being so utterly bored on the weekends... Ritsu actually lifted up her spirits every time, didn't she?

_Ugh. Just where have you been you..._

She was standing on outside the coffee shop, wondering whether if she should go in or not. She didn't find any point in going there anymore – except, where could she go then? Maybe, just maybe, Ritsu would show up today?

"Ano, excuse me."

"Ah sorry about that," mortified, Mio quickly moved out of the way. _What the hell am I doing, standing outside the door and blocking the entrance?_

The man who just walked out of the coffee shop glanced at her wide eyes quizzically before walking away.

Then she realized how familiar this man looked.

_It was him! That man Ritsu was talking to!_

"E-excuse me!"

The man turned around, slightly surprised. Mio gathered up her courage and squeezed out her question. "Do-do you know someone named Ritsu?

"Yea, what about her?"

"U-um, I haven't seen her in awhile and I was just wondering-er…if you know where she is."

The man scratched the back of his head – an action so familiar that Mio had to blink just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Hmm, you Nee-chan's friend? Never seen you before though… well, she's been sick for the past few days."

Mio blinked.

"…nee-chan?"

The man tilted his head, another familiar action. "Yea, I'm Satoshi, her brother."

_All this time, I've been jealous of her __**brother**__! _Mio had an urge to just dig a hole and throw herself in.

"…so she's been sick? All this time?"

"Yea, I guess she's been too sick to call you or something…"

_I don't even have her phone number…_Mio thought despondently.

"Last week, she came back home looking kinda sad. And then the next day she went to stand outside of Mugi-san's coffee shop, even though it was raining and all. That sis of mine…she didn't even bring an umbrella and she just won't go inside! This went on for the next few days and, of course, now she's sick, still."

Mio didn't know if she should feel guilty or exasperated at Ritsu's action.

"Ah, this might be sudden, but I think I'll get home late today – I don't know how long my meeting is gonna be. So could you check up on her or something? You know Nee-chan, she's too stubborn to call for help. I can give you a ride there if you want."

And so, the easily convinced Akiyama Mio went to visit a bedridden Ritsu.

* * *

_I was right. She really __**is**__ rich._

Mio looked around the interior in amazement. _I shouldn't be so surprised – it's the penthouse at the top of this nice building after all._

Once again, Mio was hit by how little she knew about Ritsu. She didn't even know her last name!

_My entire year's salary probably can't even buy an ornament in this place_. Mio gaped at the antique vases and decorations lining the wall. Everything here screamed 'expensive'.

Mio had asked why they couldn't just ask the maids to take care of Ritsu, but Satoshi had groaned in frustration, saying his sister would not let anyone into her room.

"_Then I shouldn't go in, should I?"_

"_Well, you're her friend, aren't you? I mean, I know a lot of her associates but the only one who actually asked about her well-being was Mugi-san."_

Mio frowned, recalling the mysterious smiles on the coffee shop owner's face whenever she inquired about Ritsu._  
_

_That Tsumugi-san really is something…why didn't she just tell me Ritsu's sick instead of giving me that weird advice?_

Satoshi had left hurriedly after telling her where Ritsu's room was. Mio slowly walked to her destination, her heart pounding in anticipation.

_I'm going to see Ritsu's room…_

She felt guilty about intruding someone's personal space, but she was also really curious about her room and worried about her health.

_Who would be baka enough to stand in the rain without an umbrella? ...did she think she did something wrong and make me angry? It should be the other way around...  
_

A white cat and a black cat stood up from their 'posts' in front of the door. _She has pets?_ The two cats stared at her for a moment and, as if deeming her good enough, sauntered away.

_Again, another thing I'll never figure out. _

Shrugging, she twisted the knob as quietly as she could, peeking inside.

There was only light barely peeking through the window shades, but Mio could see how huge the room was.

Yet, unlike the rest of the house, Ritsu's room was inadvertently messy – she could see clothing strewn about haphazardly, like the owner didn't even know where she had thrown them. She also spotted a pristine drum kit at the corner of the room. Mio was impressed.

_Huh, she can play the drums?_

It made her think about how she used to play the bass in high school, but during university, she just didn't have time and gradually lost interest. Like every other thing.

_Does Ritsu have a lot of time or something?_

Even though during the first few meetings, Ritsu was always absorbed in her laptop – but that was only after Mio had ignored her. And after they got sort of closer to each other, Ritsu never brought her briefcase again.

_I really, really know nothing about her._

Finally, Mio reached the grand bed, which was probably the size of her room. Yet most of the bed was undisturbed, except for the humanoid shape near the edge of the bed. She could see a mop of sandy-brown hair poking out from under the covers, and the heavy breathing that made the cover move up and down.

_She sounded sick… Sorry, but I need to check your temperature._

Carefully, very carefully, she peeled back the covers. Mio stood there staring at her for a few moments.

_Huh, I've never seen her hair down… and I've never seen her without sunglasses._

Not that she been paying attention to this sort of thing (no she hadn't!) but yes, Mio would admit Ritsu was attractive. And now, Ritsu appeared cute and…vulnerable_(huh?)_ in contrast to her usual confident personality.

Ritsu's face was slightly red and was drenched in sweat. Alarmed, Mio quickly grabbed a towel from the bed stand, trying her best to wipe her face without waking her.

Ritsu was deep asleep the entire time, still breathing heavily.

_Just how bad is her fever? …I'm never gonna find a thermometer in this mess, so I guess I'll just have to estimate it._

Mio put her hands on the soft bed and leaned down close, to put her forehead on Ritsu's. Somehow, her hands slipped, and she ended up falling on top of Ritsu…or strictly speaking, her face ended up on Ritsu's chest.

_Wha-_

Before she could remove herself, Ritsu's hands shot out from under the covers and wrapped around her shoulders. Then Ritsu turned sideways and adjusted her body, so that Mio's head was tucked under her chin.

Mio was still blushing furiously.

Then she noticed the baka was still fast asleep.

"Hmm, soft…" Ritsu murmured, pulling her closer.

Mio's blush intensified, but she could not pull away either – not just because of Ritsu's death drip, but deep down inside, Mio did not want to leave that embrace.

The only option left was to check Ritsu's temperature by feeling her forehead... but Mio had been told that she had cold hands, so it would not be that accurate.

She tried to ignore how nice her hug felt and how soft her skin was.

_It didn't feel too hot…and she wasn't breathing as badly as before now. _

Mio's eyes drifted shut, resigned.

_This is going to be a long day…_

* * *

Mio opened her eyes lethargically, trying to figure out where she was. Her arms were wrapped around something that didn't really feel like her pillow…

Her blurry vision finally decided to focus, and she found Ritsu's face inches from her own.

The heat from her blush woke her instantly. She was unable to move away, however, for Ritsu's arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist.

Mio swallowed, unable to look away from the slightly open lips right in front of her. Before she knew it, Mio's lips were pressed lightly against Ritsu's.

_Soft…and warm…_

Embarrassed and guilty at her action, Mio backed away immediately, trying to untangle herself.

_What the hell am I doing! Ritsu's sick and unconscious, and I just did something so…_

Her frantic movements finally aroused the sleeping woman from her dreams. Ritsu groaned and blinked wearily, removing her arms around Mio and rubbed her eyes.

Mio stilled.

_Please please go back to sleep-_

But of course, Ritsu noticed the extra person on her bed. She sat up abruptly, staring at Mio with sheer disbelief. The sudden action made her woozy, and Ritsu would have fallen backwards and hit her head on the bed rest if it weren't for Mio.

"Argh…wha-?"

Ritsu blinked, still staring at Mio.

The black-haired woman then realized it was the first time she saw Ritsu's eyes.

_Finally._

"Wha…what're you doing here, Mio?" Ritsu's voice was still heavy and deep with sleep, slumping in Mio's arms in exhaustion.

"W-well, I ran into your brother a-and um, I just haven't seen you in awhile and then she told me you were sick…so…"

Even though she was feverish, Ritsu grinned. "Heh, you miss me or something, Mio?"

"No I don't!" Mio denied instantly, but the blush on her face spoke otherwise. Ritsu's eyes twinkled.

"It's ok, I've missed you too."

"I just said I- wait, what?"

Ritsu tried to sit up properly, but she was still feeling too weak for that. She ended up leaning against the head rest with Mio sitting beside her.

"Hm, I've never seen you with your hair down, Mio."

Mio felt her own hair, just realizing she did not tie it up this morning- yesterday- whatever the time it was. _Strange, I always tie up my hair._

"Well, I've never seen your hair down either, Ritsu. And I've never seen your eyes – why do you always wear those sunglasses anyways? I-it's not like there's anything wrong with your eyes or anything…I-I quite like them."

Ritsu chuckled, running her hand through her bangs. "Really? Heh, I don't really like them…it's an unusual color and people always talk about them. It made me really uncomfortable...you're not gonna say how much you like the 'unique amber color' are you now?"

Mio shook her head and replied honestly, "No, it's not that. I just want to see them…so I actually know where you're looking…if you're actually looking at me or not…"

Her face was set aflame again. Mio looked down, willing that annoying blush to recede.

Ritsu laughed. "Aww, don't worry, I've been looking at you the entire time."

Mio's head snapped back up.

"What! You-"

Ritsu quickly kissed her and pulled away before Mio could even process what had just happened.

"I was still half-asleep at the time but I'm sure you did the same, right? I'm just returning the favor~"

Mio was still staring at Ritsu blankly.

"What, you want another one?"

Mio's fist descended on Ritsu's head for the first time since their many meetings.

* * *

"Everyone looks presentable today. So, we 're going to-"

Mio zoned out her department head's speech. No matter how much she tried, her mind kept drifting back to Ritsu.

After they cleared up the misunderstanding (Mio had to endure endless teases about her _non-existent_ jealousy), Ritsu had promptly asked her out, just like that, with that smug grin on her face. Mio recalled hitting Ritsu again, but she had actually agreed.

What was her reason? She did like Ritsu but there should have been so many factors-

Then again, Mio didn't need to have a reason whenever Ritsu's involved.

_I agree to go out with her... just because._

Mio chuckled at her own thoughts.

_Did I have coffee today? No, I haven't. I should go get it after this thing…what are we doing today again? Something about a new CEO?_

"Akiyama!"

"Y-Yes!"

"You were requested to our boss's office. Now, off you go."

Mio directed her body towards the room, puzzled. Why would the new boss want to see her when they've never even met?

Imagine her surprise (or maybe not so much) when she saw Ritsu sitting in the huge chair with her legs on the table and arms folded behind her head.

"Yo, Mio~"

The black-haired woman blinked.

"Come on, don't look so surprised. Oh yea, I never told you my last name, did I? Ta-i-na-ka. Does that ring a bell? The former CEO? That's my dad~ He's off vacationing with my mom for a few years."

Mio did not know what to say.

"Y-you you…"

Tainaka Ritsu hopped off her chair and walked up to her with a Cheshire grin. Mio noticed she was not wearing her sunglasses or her hair up anymore.

Once again, before she knew it, Ritsu pecked her on the lips and walked over to the coffee maker.

"Coffee? It's on me~"

Mio surprised herself; she only blinked and replied, smiling.

"…alright."

Finally there was some sort of spark that she no longer needed to just float through each day now.

The ripples in Akiyama Mio's life only grew stronger.

Not that she minded.

* * *

**A/N:** ...

Well, like I said, it's just a light-read, a product of a stressed mind...?

I hope you've enjoyed it...? ^^

And yes I drink black coffee without adding anything! (=へ=) even though I'm only 16...sigh...

Ok, break time's over... *shuffles away holding coffee

* * *

Omake:

"Mugi, why didn't you just tell her my address?"

"Maa, she needs to figure out this sort of thing by herself~"

"Huh? Oh, Mio also told me you gave her some advice...?"

"Yes I did! Did she do it?"

"...Er, no? "Push me down"...? Why?"

"It's all about the moment, Ricchan. Maybe you should push her down instead."

"...Huh? Alright, I can try I guess."

-after a few weeks-

"She hit me, Mugi."

"And...?"

"...(blush)..."

"You can tell me the details anytime, Ricchan~"

* * *

The omake was actually the first thing I wrote down, blame the caffeine (^q^)

Feel free to fill in those details by yourself :3


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